But the show’s ratings slumped after Clarkson’s departure, with much of the audience’s ire directed at Chris Evans.
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Sounding nearly relieved, he said: “Today’s show is dedicated to all of the Top Gear gang, and today’s show is entitled; Breathe In Breathe Out, Move On”. “Gave it my best shot but sometimes that’s not enough”, he posted.
Alexander added: “He really put his heart and soul in to it – for what it’s worth I thought it was a terrific programme – the reception which wasn’t great at the start has become better and better”.
“Full steam ahead then with Radio 2, CarFest, Children In Need, 500 Words and whatever else we can dream up in the future”, Evans tweeted after announcing his departure.
It also emerged yesterday he was facing a police probe regarding historic sexual assault claims.
Evans decision to quit the show comes on the heels of reports that he and LeBlanc, 48, butted heads while filming. Last week, it was reported that LeBlanc was planning to quit should Evans not leave first.
It has a huge social media presence with 23 million fans on Facebook.
“Chris is stepping down from his duties on Top Gear”, the BBC confirmed in a statement on Monday.
Depsite this, it’s still a significant blow to the show which has struggled to win over viewers under its new incarnation with Evans and Matt LeBlanc at the helm.
In his own statement, Evans said he’ll always be a fan of the show but that stepping down was the “single best thing” he could do. So we can’t say we’re totally surprised to hear that Chris Evans, the guy that should have replaced Jeremy Clarkson, is leaving the show.
I really wanted to like the new show – I gave it a few episodes but I just didn’t like it. The hosts didn’t have chemistry, the show was just plain boring.
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Before season 23 began in late May, the BBC said Top Gear had an estimated global audience of 350 million people, with local versions in the United States, China, France, South Korea and Italy.
